pester
verb (used with object)
to bother persistently with petty annoyances; trouble.
were pestering
-
past progressiveof pester.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In mitigation, the court heard Hamilton's messages were "pestering" but not "sexual, threatening or obscene".
From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026
For a while, the Bears hung around and were pestering the heavily favored Seahawks.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 27, 2015
There was a young guy who arrived from Korea, saying he just wanted to get away from his parents, who were pestering him to get married.
From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2015
A director of the Ordnance Survey complained of the "swarms of idle holiday visitors" who were pestering surveyors for the locations of the most picturesque parts to visit.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2014
Very soon they were pestering me again to marry at once.
From The Day of Days An Extravaganza by Arthur William Brown
